BOSTON — The sidewalk outside City Councilor John Connolly's Roxbury campaign office was packed on Thursday when he received the endorsement of several prominent members of Boston's black clergy.

However, there was some confusion after the event regarding what Connolly told some of the ministers while trying to secure their backing. After the event Connolly told reporters that he was committed to diversity, but that he was still committed to hiring the best people possible for jobs.

"I just want to be clear on one statement there. What I committed to was to make sure we have a diverse school committee," said Connolly. "The search for a superintendent, I'd love to have a superintendent of color, but it's going to be a search for the best superintendent."

After Connolly departed, Pastor William Dickerson of Dorchester's Greater Love Tabernacle relayed a slightly different version of what Connolly said. According to Dickerson, Connolly told clergy members that he would appoint a person of color to the positions of superintendent and police commissioner. Reverend Miniard Culpepper said that he was not in a meeting where that was said.

Around the 1:36 mark in this clip of Rev. Dickerson and Rev. Culpepper speaking on their endorsement of Connolly, Rev. Dickerson says Connolly guaranteed the appointment of a superintendent and police commissioner of color, a statement he would later retract.

Even though Dickerson repeatedly told reporters that Connolly told him he would appoint a person of color to the two major citywide positions, he later called MassLive.com to retract his statement, saying he misspoke and meant to say that Connolly said he would be committed to diversity in his citywide appointments as mayor. Dickerson said he made his earlier comments because he was tired and not focused.

At the endorsement event Dickerson read a statement from the clergy that said Connolly saw the appointment of a person of color to superintendent as a "necessity" and that he was "committed to making sure there is diversity in the command staff of the Boston Police Department."

Connolly's stated commitment to increasing diversity in the city's school system, a willingness to support reentry programs in the community, Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) reform and a desire to help minority businesses were some of the key factors that attracted at least a dozen clergy members to back the city councilor.

The councilors said in a joint statement read by Dickerson that Connolly was a presence in Boston's black community, particularly after traumatic events like homicides.

They also cite the issue of housing and development, an increasingly popular topic on the mayoral campaign trail, as one of their reasons for backing Connolly, too. "John is committed to producing more affordable housing so we can retain more residents in Boston, and they do not have to leave to go to other areas of the Commonwealth or our nation," said Dickerson.

"I am thankful for your support and can never appropriately convey what all of you have done for me today and what that means to me," said Connolly, adding that he was a youth minister at his church, Holy Name Parish in West Roxbury.

"I think the statement of support from the clergy says so much in Boston because it's our clergy who are out on the frontlines, working to make sure that our young people in Boston are safe, that they have opportunity, and that they will have a bright future in Boston," said Connolly.

Some of the ministers had significant disagreements with Connolly over his call for former Superintendent Carol Johnson to resign in 2012. Connolly noted in an interview after the endorsement that he differed with Reverend Miniard Culpepper, Elder Thomas Cross and Dickerson, but that it led to the forging of a strong relationship. Culpepper talked with Connolly around the time of his call for Johnson's resignation and asked him to not persist in calling for her resignation. Connolly said his discussions with Culpepper, and later Johnson, led to constructive dialogue on ways the two could work together to better the city's schools.